Structure for securing conductor element to electric connector device



Nov. 23, 1965 SEIHACHIRO MURAKAMI 3,219,966

STRUCTURE FOR SECURING CONDUCTOR ELEMENT TO ELECTRIC CONNECTOR DEVICE Filed May 6, 1963 F/G. 5 A76: 3

Inventor Sam/ammo NUR I w f m Attorney United States Patent 3,219,966 STRUCTURE FOR SECURING CONDUCTOR ELE- MENT T0 ELECTRIC CONNECTOR DEVICE Seihachiro Murakami, 34 3-ch0me, Tsukaguchi-cho, Amagasaki, Japan Filed May 6, 1963, Ser, No. 278,215 4 Claims. (Cl. 339-176) This invention relates to a novel device or structure for securing a leading end, terminal piece or the like of a conductor to a switch, socket, plug or the like.

At the present time there are many difierent types of electric connector devices such as switches, sockets, plugs and the like.

However, in order to secure a conductive element such as a leading end, terminal piece or the like of a conductor or power cord to such conventional electric connector device it is necessary to integrally embed the conductive element provided at the end of a conductor in the body of the connector device when said body is cast from an insulating material. This structure is difiicult to manufacture and furthermore once the device has been formed it is impossible to remove or replace the conductive element with the conductor.

Other typical means to secure the end of a conductor to a terminal or other conductive element in an electric connector device such as switch, socket, plug and the like comprises the use of soldering or a clamping screw. However, in this arrangement with body of the device must be divided into e.g. two pieces and the securing of the conductor end must be carried out before these pieces are assembled to a unitary body. As have been experienced, the operation of this securing (and also removal) is troublesome and when the space where the device is to be used is narrow or restricted this operation becomes more diflicult.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved structure for securing a leading end, terminal element or the like of a conductor to an electric connector device such as switch, socket, plug or the like.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved structure of the type described above, having no such drawbacks or difiiculties encountered with the conventional devices.

It is more particular object of the present invention to provide a new and improved structure of the type described above, wherein the conductor can be simply and easily secured to an electric connector device such as switch, socket, plug or the like by merely inserting a particular conductive member provided at the end of a conductor into an opening provided in the body of the device even after casting or assembling the body.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description made by referring to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a switch embodying the present invention, with the conductors secured thereto;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with certain portions cut away more clearly to illustrate the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line IIIIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a lamp holder or socket embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the cover or upper housing half removed and with a certain portion cut away.

Briefly, the present invention comprises a body of socket, switch, plug or the like, a compartment formed within said body, an opening communicating at one end 3,219,956 Patented Nov. 23, 1965 "ice with said compartment and at the other end with the exterior of the said body, a shoulder formed between the said compartment and the said opening, an elongated conductive element provided at the end of a conductor, said conductive element having a compressive portion, the arrangement being such that the said conductive element with the compressive portion can be inserted and driven into the said compartment through the said opening and when it has been completely inserted the compressive portion springs back to the original shape so that it engages the said shoulder and is retained there.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a switch body comprises an upper half casing or a cover 1' and a lower half casing or a base 1. The cover and base which are made of a suitable insulating material may be assembled to a single unit by means of assembly screws in a conventional manner. As well shown in FIG. 2, the base 1 is provided with a pair of spaced, elongated narrow compartments 3 each of which is adapted to receive a conductive element 2 attached by means for example by soldering to the end of a conductor 7. Between and communicating with these compartments 3, 3 is .a recess for receiving a switch means operatable to electrically connect and disconnect the conductive elements 2, 2 received in the respective compartments 3, 3. The switch may be of any suitable type, and in the embodiment shown it comprises two contact balls 8, 8 with a coil spring therebetween so that the balls are urge-d outwardly. These balls with the spring are retained or supported by a rotor 9 which can be operated or turned by a knob 10 provided on the cover 1. The arrangement is such that by turning the knob 10 the rotor 9 and hence the balls 8, 8 supported thereby can be turned to establish an electric connection of one conductive element to the other through the ball, spring and the other ball. This switching means, however, does not constitute an essential feature of the invention.

As well shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the base 1 is further provided with two entrance openings 4, 4 each communicating at its inner end with the compartment 3 and at the other end with the exterior of the base or body. At the junction of the opening 4 and the compartment 3 there is provided a shoulder 5 defined by the inner end portion of the entrance opening 4 and an enlarged end space of the compartment 3.

The conductive element or strip 2 has an elongated section adapted to extend into the compartment 3 and a root section 6 The root section 6 is made resilient or compressive. In the embodiment shown, the root section 6 has a U-shape in cross section (FIG. 3) having a short side wall 6'. Between the legs or side walls of the U-shaped section the end of the lead or conductor 7' is welded or soldered at a to the bottom of the U-shaped section (FIG. 3). Normally the width of the U-shaped section 6 is larger than that of the entrance opening 4. The side walls (one of which is the short side Wall 6') may however be compressible toward each other by an external force so that the width of the U- shaped section 6 may become smaller.

In securing each conductive element 2 to the switch device before assembling the base 1 and cover 1, the conductive element 2 with the root section 6 may simply be inserted downward and into the compartment 2 from the above with the root section 6 in the enlarged space of the compartment. Then the cover 1 is secured. After assembling the cover 1' and base 1 the conductive element 2 can not be removed from the switch even the conductor 7' is pulled because the U-shaped root section 6 is engaged by the shoulder 5.

The important advantage of the structure of this invention is in that the conductive element 2 can easily be secured to the switch even after the cover 1' has been secured to the base 1. This is very convenient where the space is too restricted to carry out an assembling operation. Thus, in securing the conductive element to the switch after'assembly of the cover 1 and base 1, the conductive element 2 is inserted through the entrance opening 4 into the compartment 3. Although the root or U-shaped portion 6 of the element 2 is wider than the entrance opening 4 the former can be driven into the enlarged space of the compartment 3 passing through the entrance opening 4 because the side walls of the root or U-shaped portion 6 can be compressed toward each other by the wall of the entrance opening 4 when said portion 6 is forced into the opening 4. Once the root or U-shaped portion 6 has entered into the enlarged space adjacent the inner end of the entrance opening 4 the side walls of the portion 6 are released from the compression and return to the original shape wider than the entrance opening 4. In this state the portion 6 engages the shoulder 5 so that the conductive element 2 can not be removed even when the conductor 7' attached thereto is pulled.

To facilitate the insertion of the conductive element 2, particularly the root or U-shaped portion 6, through the entrance opening 4, it is preferable to taper the root or U-shaped portion 6 as shown in FIG. 2. It is also preferable to taper the entrance opening 4 toward the inner end correspondingly.

Since the conductive element can be secured to the switch even after assembling the latter, it will be understood that if desired the switch body can be cast into a single body within which the switch means is embedded and the compartment, shoulder and entrance opening are formed in casting the switch body. After forming or casting the switch body, the conductive element 3 attached to the conductor 7' may be secured in the manner just mentioned above.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 there are shown another embodiment of the invention which is applied to a lamp socket or lamp holder particularly useful as a sewing machine lamp. This embodiment is similar to that shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and therefore the corresponding parts bear the same reference numerals except that the numeral 1 is added before the numeral given in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Thus for example, the conductive element is indicated by the numeral 2 in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, while the same element in FIGS. 4 and 5 bears the numeral 12. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is different from that shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 in that it is a lamp socket, that the switch means is adapted to connect or disconnect one conductive element 12 (left one as viewed in FIG. 5) and a contact leaf 20 provided at the bottom of the socket and adapted to be contacted with the bottom of a lamp received in the socket in the usual manner, and that the left hand compartment 13 is not straight but is bent at right angle and the associating conductive element 12 is bent at right angle correspondingly as well shown in FIG. 5. The dimension of the left hand compartment and conductive element are such that the latter can be forced into the former in a manner similar to that described in con- 4 nection with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

What I claim is:

1. An assembly for an electric device comprising an electric connector having a body, compartment means formed within said body, an entrance opening communicating at its inner end with said compartment means and at the other end with the exterior of said body, a shoulder formed between the compartment means and the entrance opening, an elongated conductive element forming an electrical contact for the electric device, said elongated conductive element having one end connected at the end of a conductor, said one end of said conduc tive element forming a root portion which is compressible, the arrangement being such that the conductive element with said compressible root portion can be forced into said compartment means through the said opening due to compression of the said root portion by the wall of the entrance opening and when the conductive element has been completely inserted within the compartment the compression of the root portion is released and the said portion engages with said shoulder so that it can not be removed even when the conductor is pulled, the root portion of the conductive element being of a U-shape in cross section and its side walls being wider than the entrance opening and being compressible toward each other when the said root portion is forced in through the entrance opening.

2. An assembly for an electric device as defined in claim 1 wherein two compartments are formed within said body, each of said compartments receiving an elongated conductive element.

3. An assembly for an electric device as defined in claim 2 wherein the electric device is a switch positioned within the body in communicating relationship with each of said compartments, and said elongated conductive elements being inserted in said compartment for engagement with said switch for forming electrical contacts for said switch.

4. An assembly for an electric device as defined in claim 2 wherein the electric device is a lamp socket positioned within said body in communicating relationship with each of said compartments, and said elongated conductive elements being inserted in said compartments for engagement with said lamp socket for forming electrical contact for said lamp socket.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,533,771 4/1925 Slade 339--168 X 1,607,049 11/1926 Betts 339-167 X 1,889,695 11/1932 Petersen 339206 X 2,505,518 4/1950 Benander 339208 X 2,891,103 6/1959 Swengel 339-126 X 3,031,638 4/1962 Bertram et al. 3392l7 3,047,832 7/1962 Deaking 339217 3,098,687 7/1963 Fitz Gerald 339217 X PATRICK A. CLIFFORD, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ASSEMBLY FOR AN ELECTRIC DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELECTRIC CONNECTOR HAVING A BODY, COMPARTMENT MEANS FORMED WITHIN SAID BODY, AN ENTRANCE OPENING COMMUNICATING AT ITS INNER END WITH SAID COMPARTMENT MEANS AND AT THE OTHER END WITH THE EXTERIOR OF SAID BODY, A SHOULDER FORMED BETWEEN THE COMPARTMENT MEANS AND THE ENTRANCE OPENING, AN ELONGATED CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT FORMING AN ELECTRICAL CONTACT FOR THE ELECTRIC DEVICE, SAID ELONGATE CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT HAVING ONE END CONNECTED AT THE END OF A CONDUCTOR, SAID ONE END OF SAID CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT FORMING A ROOT PORTION WHICH IS COMPRESSIBLE, THE ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT THE CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT WITH SAID COMPRESSIBLE SUTH THAT THE CONDUCTIVE FORCED INTO SAID COMPARTMENT MEANS THROUGH THE SAID 